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Fort Smith Educators Tour Site Of Future School

School leaders toured the site of their future Fort Smith high school at Chaffee Crossing on Monday.

Superintendent Benny Gooden, the Fort Smith School Board and other district officials toured via bus the 7,000-acre community that includes 80 acres earmarked for a third high school. It had been several years since their last Chaffee tour, according to the school district.

“We just wanted to see the perspective,” Gooden said. “It kind of puts what we’re talking about in context of where this is all going to be in the next 15 years.”

The school board recently interviewed eight firms interested in designing the new school at Frontier and Wells Lake roads, and an arena and potentially a fine arts center at undetermined locations.

“The minute I see dirt turning on that 80 acres, I’ll be a happy man,” he said.

Of Chaffee Crossing as a whole, Owen told the leaders, “I hope you can see the same kind of vision I have for it.”

He also said about 30 projects are under construction at Chaffee Crossing.

“There are currently 1,250 employees who work out here every day,” he said. “Most of them are small businesses, which make up the backbone of any community, especially ours.”

The school board’s tentative plans call for a 1,500-student school at Chaffee Crossing. The board plans to visit completed projects from interested developers in August and September, school district Communication Director Zena Featherston Marshall said.

Voters likely will be asked to approve a millage increase to fund the future projects.

Over the past decade, district enrollment has grown by more than 1,450 students. This year’s enrollment at Fort Smith schools was just above 14,000.

Fort Smith has 19 elementary schools, four junior high schools, two high schools, an adult education center and an alternative learning center.